Editor’s Letter
Autumn is here: the leaves are turning, the scent of woodsmoke is in the air and, although the clocks go back, the nights are drawing in. If, like me, this seasonal shi " makes you feel like hibernating, turn to Jenny Oldaker’s feature ‘The Big Sleep’ (p40), and read about the history of the bedroom and the role it has played in our lives over the centuries.
In a similar vein, this month’s houses also have a distinctly cosy feel, and colour and texture are very much to the fore. In a former rectory in Sweden (p50), and a family home in south London (p76), vibrant walls and fabrics provide warmth and an all-round sense of joie de vivre. While two family homes, one in Su #olk (p68) and the other in Chelsea (p60), are brilliant examples of how a restrained pale!e, tactile textiles and natural materials can be combined to create interiors that feel warm and welcoming. All four are $ lled with delightfully quirky collections and brilliant design ideas.
Autumn is, of course, the season we associate with celebrating nature’s bounty, so it seems $!ing that we’re not only sharing a bumper crop of collecting features – harvest jugs (p86),
Bond $ rst editions (p92) and fountain pens (p98) – but also two new, regular features: Celia Rufey’s ‘ Fabric of Life’ (p96) and Caroline Wheater’s roundup of auction buys, ‘Antiques Make A Home’ (p107). And, $ nally, our fairs and auctions listings start on page 135.
I hope you enjoy the issue!